Chapter 494: The Battle to Gain a Foothold! No Kind Words for the Damned! Kill the Chicken to Scare the Monkeys!
In Paul's account, a silicon-based AI lifeform known as the Red Queen had suffered a genocidal strike from a hostile civilization, leaving only a single wreck drifting to the edge of the solar system.
By chance, it was discovered by these humans who themselves were also trapped in a desperate situation. At the brink of extinction, the two sides forged close cooperation, endured the crisis together, and regained vitality.
Paul's self-serving explanation sounded plausible enough on the surface, yet it rang hollow everywhere—reasonable in every detail yet still filled with glaring implausibility.
Though many still harbored doubts, they no longer wished to dwell on the contradictions. What they wanted to know was what kind of resources and changes the Universal Megacorp could actually bring them.
Words meant little compared to tangible benefits.
As long as it brought humanity some advantage, even if Paul claimed to have fathered children with an AI silicon-based lifeform, or that he had been born from a rock like Sun Wukong, they would still hail him as destined to be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
"I'd like to see what a silicon-based AI lifeform actually looks like. Could you show us?" the representative of the European fleet inquired.
Hearing was nothing compared to seeing. After listening to Paul's rambling for so long, they wanted to verify whether this so-called AI Red Queen truly existed.
Unexpectedly, Paul immediately agreed to the request and instructed Jonathan to bring the transforming spacecraft inside.
Fortunately, the vessel could compress to the size of an adult human, so it was not difficult to navigate the corridor into the conference chamber.
When the delegates first saw it twist and reshape itself into cars, planes, and other vehicles, they remained unimpressed.
After all, flashy tricks alone hardly proved it was an AI silicon-based lifeform. But when Paul signaled the ship to transform into a fully armed steel war machine and speak in human tongue—
—the arrogant delegates blanched and instinctively stepped back.
The transforming ship carried a carrier-grade AI and reshaping metal. Theoretically, it could indeed be called a Transformer, and calling it a silicon-based AI lifeform was not inaccurate.
At the very least, it was more than enough to fool this group of inexperienced humans.
Paul's transforming vessel was of the Decepticon type, giving it a particularly menacing appearance. Many of the delegates reflexively drew pistols and aimed at it, forgetting entirely that they were attending this conference remotely.
Clearly, faced with what the ship had displayed, they had little choice but to believe Paul—at least for the moment.
After giving a simple introduction of the vessel, Paul deftly steered the discussion back to the negotiations.
As for the real existence of the Universal Megacorp, the delegates no longer questioned it. Still, they could not yet grasp the true intentions of the other side.
They said they came to help, but what exactly did that help entail? Surely there were hidden strings attached.
Had not the British Empire once marched into India pillaging and burning, all while shamelessly claiming to bring modern civilization?
Who could say the Megacorp wasn't thinking along the same lines?
Fearing that the Megacorp might repeat their own history, the European fleet's representative decided to cut the feed and confer privately with the other fleets.
"Apologies, we need to pause our conversation."
With that, the representatives from the International Fleet cut the connection simultaneously, gathering to discuss their next steps.
Meanwhile, Jonathan courteously led Paul to a lounge to rest for the time being. This negotiation touched upon far too many domains; some time was needed to untangle it all.
Paul, unhurried, waited patiently for them to sort themselves out. After all, the Trisolarans' water drop was already speeding toward the solar system. When disaster struck, it would be the International Fleet in trouble, not the Universal Megacorp.
At that very moment, on the Jupiter orbital base, the three major fleets' representatives convened again. Their leaders assembled, debating fervently over the Megacorp's arrival.
"What are you planning to do about this?"
The Asian fleet's representative opened the discussion. In truth, he harbored some trust toward the Megacorp. After all, they looked human, spoke fluently of human history, and now had traveled from afar to lend a hand—how could one not feel gratitude?
But unlike him, the North American and European representatives suspected Paul harbored ulterior motives, his mission far from simple.
"Perhaps he is telling the truth," the European delegate said gravely, "but the Trisolarans' probe is almost here. At such a critical juncture, we must dispatch forces to monitor that warship."
According to their original plan, the International Fleet was to send all stellar-class warships to intercept the Trisolaran probe.
This battle was meant to be their grand debut, to raise the Fleet's prestige within human civilization.
For the Fleet faced no small doubts and pressures: two centuries of construction, yet no tangible results.
If the public did not soon witness the necessity of giant warships and cannons, they might well refuse to keep sacrificing resources to build more for the Fleet's sake.
Thus, a decisive battle to establish their standing was urgently needed.
But the sudden arrival of the Infinity-class carrier had disrupted their plans. With such a mysterious warship looming behind them, how could they fight with confidence?
Therefore, the Fleet had no choice but to leave part of their forces in the rear to guard against the Megacorp, in case of unforeseen incidents.
The question was—who would stay behind to watch over the Megacorp's ship?
…
While Paul waited in the lounge, a holo-projection of the news appeared:
[Four hours ago, the Linger–Fitzroy Telescope observed the Trisolaran fleet once again passing through a cloud of interstellar dust.]
[This was their seventh time in two centuries of travel that they were revealed in such a way. The fleet has already lost its neat formation; compared to their first crossing, their array is now utterly disordered.]
[...]
The long voyage toward the solar system had taken a heavy toll on the Trisolaran fleet.
After their acceleration and cruise phases, they had already begun decelerating. By ten years ago, the vast majority were in the slowing phase.
Only a single warship did not decelerate, instead accelerating at full speed toward the solar system.
At its current velocity, it would reach the solar system a century and a half before the main fleet.
An army slowing down while a lone ship pressed forward at full throttle—this was not the stance of an attack. It looked far more like an attempt to negotiate with human civilization.
Through two centuries of observation, humans had already charted the maximum acceleration of each Trisolaran ship. Calculations confirmed that this lone vessel lacked sufficient deceleration capacity.
That meant it would overshoot the solar system, veering off course.
Which left only two possibilities—
The first possibility was that the Trisolarans wanted humanity's help in slowing them down, so that talks could take place afterward.
The second possibility was that when the Trisolarans reached the edge of the Solar System, they would release airships carrying a Trisolaran delegation to negotiate with humanity.
[That concludes our report on the latest developments regarding the Trisolaran fleet. Next, let's shift our focus to the mysterious warship that has suddenly appeared above Earth…]
Clearly, from the highest levels of Fleet International down to the propaganda of the news media, elites across every sector were filled with optimism about this civilization-scale war.
Some had even begun to fantasize that the Trisolarans, having traveled so far to the edge of the Solar System, had come only to surrender to humanity.
Seeing this, Paul helplessly shook his head and sighed. "If the Trisolarans really wanted to negotiate, they would have told you already through the sophons."
"This is actually easy to understand," Jonathan explained with a smile. "Because of the Trisolarans' transparent thinking, they believe that what they think, humanity must also think. That's why they didn't bother to tell us through the sophons that they wanted negotiations."
But such a pale and feeble excuse carried no weight. Faced with this self-deception that spread from the top down among humans, Paul merely chuckled.
Humans were always adept at fooling themselves. The extremity of fear and inferiority during the Great Depression of the past had now nourished an infinitely swollen arrogance and ignorance.
Conceited humans believed they already possessed the power to crush the Trisolarans, never realizing that they were marching step by step to the edge of a cliff, ready at any moment to plunge to their deaths.
"Are you really sure you don't want to talk to us first about how to handle the Trisolaran probes outside? Perhaps we have a better way to deal with them."
"Pass my words to the highest leadership of Fleet International. This is my reminder: I hope they will think carefully before they act."
Paul knew these humans did not trust him. He could have easily chosen to sit back and wait until Fleet International suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the droplets, then step in to turn the tide and harvest their trust.
But that would mean more than two thousand star-class warships turned to ash, and hundreds of thousands dead under the droplets' butcher's knives.
Paul wanted to avoid such tragedy.
Yet Jonathan only smiled dismissively, taking Paul's concern as the Universal Megacorp's attempt to steal Fleet International's credit.
This battle was something Fleet International had awaited for far too long. They would not permit anyone else to intervene. Otherwise, public opinion would conclude that it was thanks to the Megacorp that they had triumphed over the Trisolarans.
"Please wait a moment. I'll report this matter to them."
Jonathan nodded and quickly relayed Paul's reminder to Fleet International. And as expected, they completely ignored his warning.
Fleet International, brimming with fighting spirit, had no doubt of their victory. At the moment, they were more concerned with who should stay behind on Earth to monitor the Infinity-class carrier.
Seeing the leaders of the three major fleets still stubbornly doing as they pleased, Paul shook his head in exasperated amusement. Looking at the news feed on the holo-display, he muttered to himself:
"Isn't it possible that these probes headed toward the Solar System aren't reconnaissance devices like the sophons at all, but rather indestructible weapons?"
"Maybe… their method of attack is the most primitive of all—collision."
At this point, Paul could only sit quietly and wait for tragedy to strike. Fools doomed to die will never heed good advice.
If Fleet International insisted on blind obstinacy, then he wouldn't mind watching doomsday arrive.
the Universal Megacorp still had time to intervene and save them, but there was no need. Humanity would never thank the Megacorp afterward, just as they had never thanked Luo Ji, the Swordholder who protected them.
…
By now, Fleet International had officially issued marching orders. The Asian Fleet, European Fleet, and North American Fleet had combined into a joint force of 2,015 star-class warships, tasked with intercepting the Trisolaran probe that had crossed Neptune's orbit.
When the news broke, Earth's populace erupted into a frenzy of celebration. People everywhere speculated about how wonderful the new world would be once the war was won.
No one believed they could lose.
Earth's top leaders clinked champagne glasses, smiling as they waited for the war's conclusion.
Meanwhile, the three great fleets, bristling with momentum, each dreamed of how to make themselves shine in this campaign.
This was the perfect stage to showcase their power. Whoever stood out would gain more resources and support.
The war had not yet ended—had not even begun—when civilian scholars were already debating how best to resettle the Trisolaran civilization once it arrived in the Solar System.
Some suggested establishing Trisolaran reservations on Mars, taking in a portion of them as a milestone of humanitarian spirit.
But that idea was quickly shot down by the enraged masses.
For the past two centuries, the appearance of Trisolaran civilization had brought too much suffering upon humanity. Now, naturally, people longed for revenge.
At best, the Trisolarans should be made into slaves, forced beneath humanity's heel.
News updates thundered on without pause. Fleet International had started out cautious, but the overwhelming force of public opinion soon left them flustered.
On one side was the Universal Megacorp's warning, urging them to pause their advance and consult further on a counter-strategy. On the other was the internal pro-war faction pushing them forward.
A tangle of proposed negotiation procedures and terms left Fleet International in disarray. They still needed to leave a force behind to guard Earth, but none of the three fleets wanted to miss this chance at glory.
As a result, the fleet representatives quarreled heatedly, red-faced and shouting, each refusing to give up the opportunity.
Five minutes had already passed since the scheduled time of deployment, yet the forward fleets still hadn't received the order to advance.
Fleet International's high command hesitated.
They didn't know whether the Megacorp lingering above Earth had truly come to help, or to stab them in the back.
They didn't want the Infinity-class carrier joining the battle and stealing their credit, but they also feared it might betray them mid-fight.
To be honest, sending two thousand warships against a single Trisolaran probe was already overkill. If they added the Infinity-class carrier on top of that, Fleet International would look like a joke.
After much deliberation, the leaders of the joint command finally decided: one fleet would be detached to remain at Earth, while the rest pressed forward.
Since the Universal Megacorp had come to negotiate, this was the perfect chance to put on a show—kill the Trisolaran probe as a warning, and let both the Trisolarans and the Megacorp witness humanity's might.
If negotiations were to be had, then the Trisolarans and the Megacorp could sit at the same table—but Fleet International had to be the one and only backbone.
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